Blogging for Your Business
Blogs seem like such a perfect marketing tool: So easy to set up! So easy to maintain! So fun to update! But blogs take lots of work, too, which make them equally easy to neglect or even abandon. So before you dive head-first into the world of blogging, take a moment to see if blogs are the right fit for your business.
Blogging Benefits
Blogging can be much more effective and interesting than straight website content or blast emails. For starters, blogging adds a more personal touch than straight web content, especially since most blogs are written casually and allow readers to chime in with their own thoughts. Blogs also bypass any potential email spam issues, including low delivery and open rates associated with blast email campaigns.
Blogs have lots of other benefits, too. They're a great way to establish yourself as an authority and help make new and more personal connections with customers. Blogs also have tremendous SEO value, since they're natural "link bait," and links help your online visibility and popularity. You can gain incoming links from other bloggers and readers, media mentions, blog directories and blog search engines, and industry sites looking for relevant content.
But What Will I Blog About?
If you're not sure what you might blog about, never fear, we've compiled all sorts of creative ideas you can share on your blog:
- Communicating with affiliates/vendors
- Syndicating/sharing content from other websites
- Announcing new product releases
- Announcing security alerts, bug fixes, and upgrades
- Building buzz for special events
- Providing product tips and informative articles
- Keeping in touch with customers
- Providing special offers to customers
- Announcing promotions
- Sharing random thoughts
Bloggers Beware!
While we think blogs can be a pretty great marketing tool, they're definitely not for everyone. It's easy to set up a blog and post your first entry, but it's hard to keep up with it on a weekly, much less daily, basis. So before you go creating a blog, make sure you can avoid these blogging pitfalls:
- Don't blog if you don't like to write, otherwise it'll just be sheer torture for you. There's no way around it, blogging involves lots and lots of writing!
- Don't blog if your company will be super-nervous about everything you write. If your blog entries have to be approved by your legal department, you may want to skip it.
- Don't blog if you don't have a thick skin. Blogging is a full-contact sport!
- Don't blog if you don't have the time. You're going to need to dedicate time to post-writing and responding to comments on a daily basis.
- Don't be boring. Show a little personality!
- Don't go more than a week without posting, otherwise your readers will lose interest and forget to stop back for check for updates.
- Don't post using nondescript posting titles - let your readers know what they're about to read.
- Don't be too foul or negative - keep in mind that your future boss may be reading your blog.
- Don't blog on a domain owned by a Weblog service such as wordpress.com or Blogger. You don't have as much control over stats and data, and you don't own the blog name, either.
- Don't forget to include your bio and photo - blogs are more personal in nature, and your readers want to know what you look like.
To recap, blogs are a proven traffic and sales lead generator, but they take lots of time and effort. Want to find out how blogging can help your business? Let us take a look at your site and tell you what we think. Contact us at 888.485.4932 or use our online form.
